Harbaugh, franchise QB and more: Five takes from Falcons owner Arthur Blank
The Falcons’ season is over on the field, but the work off the turf really is just beginning.
After an 8-9 record and missing the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, the franchise pivoted away from general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris, who were fired Sunday.
Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank addressed several issues around the team and its path forward during his postseason availability Thursday.
Here are five quick takeaways from Blank’s remarks:
Shoot for the moon
Several head coaching jobs are available, including with the Ravens, who fired coach John Harbaugh this week. That separation put him at the top of almost every wish list for franchises.
Blank didn’t hesitate when asked about whether the Falcons are interested in Harbaugh as their next head coach.
“John has been one of the most successful coaches in the last 20 years in our league. He’s won at every level and he would certainly be a candidate we would want to spend some time with (interviewing),” Blank said. “Whether he would have interest in Atlanta, I don’t know. I read earlier today that he’s not taking any interviews this week, and he’ll probably start this coming week, so I’m sure we’ll have him on our cycle, assuming he’ll be willing to take an interview with us.”
Harbaugh, 63, had an impressive record of 180-113 in his 18 seasons with the Ravens, including a Super Bowl win in 2012.
The franchise QB
From the outside, it would seem the Falcons’ situation at quarterback is unsettled, at best, considering Michael Penix Jr. suffered an ACL injury and Kirk Cousins’ contract situation is dicey, at best.
Blank erased any doubt about whom the Falcons view as the future of the franchise.
“I do think Michael is our franchise quarterback,” Blank said. “The injury he sustained was on his other knee. The surgeon felt 1,000% secure that the medical procedure he went through, and they felt his knee was going to be better than it was before.
“He’s on a successful rehab program, he’s back in Atlanta and he mentally and physically feels good.”
Parting ways
Blank didn’t wait long after the season was over to make a decision about Morris and Fontenot, despite the four-game win streak to finish the season.
After evaluating the results, Blank thought the Falcons could do better than what they’ve done — particularly in the past two seasons — and decided to move in a new direction.
“I just concluded that I didn’t think that those two gentlemen — as fine as people as they are, and as much as I care about them personally and their families — that they were providing the kind of leadership at the level to get us to the next level,” Blank said.
“It was a very tough decision. It’s a performance-driven league — all sports are — and certainly, the NFL is no different in that. They understand that and certainly I represent the fans, and I’ve said this many times, that I view myself as a custodian of the franchise for the fans. As they felt pain and anguish and frustration during the year, I felt pain and anguish and frustration during the year myself.
“It was a very thoughtful, balanced decision that it took time to reach, but I think it was the right decision for us.”
The new president
Blank and the Falcons retained consulting firms to provide feedback about how the franchise is being run was to help chart the forward direction.
One result was Blank’s decision to add a president of football position that will have more accountability for the overall direction. Speculation has spread widely that former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is one of the candidates for that role, and Blank confirmed that.
“Matt is somebody we’ve had a long relationship with and he is one of the candidates we’ll be interviewing,” Blank said.
“ … His EQ and IQ when it comes to football is extraordinarily high. He’s an outstanding individual and great community leader, and the kind of person you’d want to consider in that position. We have other candidates that we’re interviewing as well in the next couple of days, starting this afternoon and this evening and going into tomorrow and tomorrow night.”
Defense first
One of the biggest improvements this season was the defense, led by coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. The pass rush was much improved, with help from rookies James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker.
With a new coach coming in, the notion is that a new staff will come with it, but Ulbrich could be a consideration. Blank lauded Ulbrich’s work this season.
“You can’t dictate to a new head coach who their coaches are going to be, but I would certainly recommend to a new coach that they consider Jeff based on his track record, not only here, but his track record before us in Atlanta and New York and his experience there,” he said. “He had a couple of years at the very top of the league, too. I would certainly recommend somebody consider (Ulbrich), but it’s not something we can require or mandate. The right head coach will want to put together his own staff.”
About the Author
Rod Beard is the Senior Sports Editor for pro sports at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joining the team after 20-plus years at The Detroit News, where he was a beat writer for the Pistons for seven years, after five years covering the Michigan men's basketball team.
